This invention relates to a printer wire for printer wire assembly used in dot matrix printers.
Dot matrix printers have the capability of high speed printing and are useful, for example, in producing computer print-outs. Characters such as letters and numerals are formed by an array of dots printed on the print-out sheet by selective electronic activation of an array of printer wires.
The printer wires are fabricated from a material such as tungsten, tungsten-rhenium alloy or tungsten carbide and each is supported by a steel pin or armature. The armature has a socket for receiving the base portion of a wire.
Printer wires made from various steel alloys are used in some low speed printing applications since steel wires have low wear resistance they have not been used for the higher speed printing applications. Tungsten and its alloys have better wear resistance than steel but are not sufficiently strong for high speed, long life, printing applications. It is desirable to develop improved printer wires that are resistant to fracture and have high abrasion resistance, since even an occasional breakage of a printer wire can result in considerable expense and inconvenience. The downtime of a printer delays work in progress and necessitates expensive repair.